The Dickinson press., 1887-04-09
OLD AND RARE BOOKS.
A FEW ERRONEOUS IDEAS WHICH Ex-
lsT CONCERNING THEIR VALUE.
The Comparative Worth OF an Old nnol,
Dependent on Imprint, Authorship,
Ownership. Edition and Con,litlon-A
List of ISnrO Volumes.

List of Harc Volumes.
Nota few erroneous ideas exist about the
Nalu" of old hooks. In order TO correct some
of these misconceptions have concluded I,
take old hooks for my text. l may tlispc
some pleasant illusions, hut if | do it is he
cause can't help it. Allow ne to say in the
first place that age is no criterion uf value in
books. The mere date of printing does not
fix its value, though, of course. any book il,
fair condition bearing date earlier than lat
is worth something merely on account of its
approach tn the datc of the invention OF
printing. On the other hand, there are hooks
rs late i'll date aS lSS6 which are rnrc and
which arc much desired by Il certain elias, of
buyers There is no rulc for knowing tho
c"mi,aratvr value of an old book. because i,
may depend upon ST. many things, such as
imprint, authorship. ownership, edition and
condition. \ New Work lady recently came
int" tho possession Of a book which sho sup
posed worth at least s'.MN. 1t was a fine
larg" folio, i'll excellent condition and 2iC
Years old Imagine hcr'lisnrl"in'mrn whe,
tho highest offer made her Tor ii was 81. IT.
ngr, size and condition didn't count for any
thing. The book wasn't rare nntl Ind no in
trinsic value
'TllE MAlrYn HOOK"
remember the excitement which existed
some yesus ago over "Thc Martyr Book, =
printed at Ephra.n, in this state, in l747-As
1t was n"i>cd abroad as n valunhl" tml and
exceedingly rare. What followed then
Why, no less than fifty copic, of it were un
cartI~l among tho farmers of Iamastc,
county nlonc. And what followed next a
dead. thEd like fall in quotations from sl3t
to $50 copy. Th" quantity deprecated ih,
quality; ii wasn't exceedingly rare. after all
Ii deserves fanr however, as tlr first large
book published i'll this state, aud as an excel
lent product of tho printers. paprrmnkcrs nnt
binders of that period. Almost ms much zra
is shown in getting possession of old book,
with til" Germantown imprint upon thsm
Tho first German books in tho state were
printed there. Some are rarr and high priced
others are comparatively common.
There was n srnrr!"us cpilalh on rCcr
tain Great Man" l'"njamin Franklinl, prin,c.
anonymously in this city about l1G3. II con
sisted of hu. eight pages, and yet copy of i
brought So at the Erinlry book sale in Nov
York. There wcrc only three copies know,
I" bo i'll existence. Mr.. D. MrN. Stnutrcr
editor of The New York Engineering News
one day picked up II pamphlet out OF the dir
i'll the bottom of Il closet, and found himsc!
tho posscss'r of one of the known three Yo
SEQ, if You are looking for rare and valuubl
hooks, it is something to know which are rar
and why they are valuable
Non are not always sure even in buying
rai" hook by catalogue. clip the suhinnc
froma letter received by me to-day: 9Th
German llrrnhlry is an example of the dan
ger of buying from foreign book catalogues
sent for the two volumes, paying a goo,
price for them. There was 10 evidence OF
the title that there wcrc three volumes and i
was only upon plo'lding through the 1ail
text TINT found reference to third an,
missing volume. ] attempted to soil th,
books us 'liad received them TO tho Gcrmn,
library in your city There met Professor
Oswald Siedrnsturkcr, n very learned German
scholar, who knew all about the books ant
the fact that the rarc third volume nlway
turned up missing ! have the two volmc
vet /"